As Ella grows older her needs change, mature, and expand. She’s at an age where she wants desperately to explore her world yet access to that world is hindered by SMA. Her power wheelchair gets her around most places but also confines her to certain places. She very rarely, if ever, goes to a friend’s house to play because of her power wheelchair. Just getting it into a house can be an ordeal. Even when friends come over to our house they have to stay on the first floor. Ella has a small manual wheelchair but she has outgrown it and she also cannot move it over carpeted areas (like our basement).
Just recently we discovered a lightweight, collapsible manual wheelchair called the "Zippee Zone" with a separate device with a power wheel that can attach to the back of the wheelchair to move the wheelchair along (called a “Smart Drive”). Unfortunately, insurance will not help pay for this chair, as they pay for her power wheelchair. If we purchased this manual wheelchair and device for her she would have a wheelchair to use upstairs, down the basement, at friends’ houses, and as a back up to her power chair in case it has a problem. The “Smart Drive” uses a wristband remote control so that when Ella taps her wrist on the wheelchair’s wheel the Smart Drive moves the wheelchair forward for her. She turns it like she would if she were powering it herself. She would also have complete control over acceleration and other aspects of the Smart Drive through the programmable wristband. This would open up a whole new world of possibilities for Ella.
She could visit anyone’s house as the chair would tie down in the van for transportation purposes. It only weighs 15 lbs so it’s quite portable. She could use it in the basement, on carpeted areas, upstairs...anywhere really. She has already tried out a demo model and she loved it. So did we.
Please consider helping us purchase this wheelchair and the Smart Drive for Ella with a donation of any size.
Just recently we discovered a lightweight, collapsible manual wheelchair called the "Zippee Zone" with a separate device with a power wheel that can attach to the back of the wheelchair to move the wheelchair along (called a “Smart Drive”). Unfortunately, insurance will not help pay for this chair, as they pay for her power wheelchair. If we purchased this manual wheelchair and device for her she would have a wheelchair to use upstairs, down the basement, at friends’ houses, and as a back up to her power chair in case it has a problem. The “Smart Drive” uses a wristband remote control so that when Ella taps her wrist on the wheelchair’s wheel the Smart Drive moves the wheelchair forward for her. She turns it like she would if she were powering it herself. She would also have complete control over acceleration and other aspects of the Smart Drive through the programmable wristband. This would open up a whole new world of possibilities for Ella.
She could visit anyone’s house as the chair would tie down in the van for transportation purposes. It only weighs 15 lbs so it’s quite portable. She could use it in the basement, on carpeted areas, upstairs...anywhere really. She has already tried out a demo model and she loved it. So did we.
Please consider helping us purchase this wheelchair and the Smart Drive for Ella with a donation of any size.
DONATE HERE: https://www.gofundme.com/ellaswheelchair
Wheelchair & Smart Drive : $9890.85
Thank you,
With Love...the Casten Family
